Rob Scotton Explains His Inspiration for Splat the Cat Stories

What a pleasure it was for me to meet Rob Scotton at the Texas Book Festival last weekend. This author from Rutland, England, loves to talk. But I can assure you that each of us in the audience loved to listen–to his ideas and accent! His picture books about Splat the Cat are very popular, causing a long book signing line at the festival.

Meet Splat the Cat

Inspiration #1

Listening to Rob speak, I especially found the “insider information” about his inspiration intriguing. As a fellow writer working on 2 manuscripts of my own, I love hearing how the seeds of ideas get started. I’ve found that my ideas come from everyday things that happen in life. Anything can inspire. Rob’s story is further proof of this.

Rob was running his lawnmower in his backyard one summer day when his eyes spotted this ugly beast on top of his fence. It had bald patches and a clipped ear. It was his neighbor’s cat. This particular cat had a habit of attacking Rob when he least expected it. He kept his eye on the cat as he went back and forth with the lawnmower. Suddenly, a gust of wind came and the cat teetered precariously. It then hung in the air briefly before falling from the fence. Rob thought to himself, “Surely this agile creature will land safely on his feet, as all cats do.” But when the cat landed not so gracefully on its bum, he heard the word “SPLAT” in his head. He immediately ran inside, lawn duties forgotten for the moment, and played with the idea of a character, Splat the Cat.

Rob Scotton, author of Splat the Cat picture books

A key element for this artist was finding the look of Splat right from the start. He needed a cat he could enjoy spending time writing stories. Rob wanted to keep Splat simple. As a child, Rob had practiced drawing characters like Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto. These shapes were simple and easy to practice with. So he designed Splat’s rectangular body with his young audience in mind.

Splat’s rectangular body

And what could be funnier on a chunky body than long skinny “arms” and legs coming off it?

Splat’s skinny “arms” and legs

Next Rob played with various ideas for the eyes, and finally settled on the “wide-eyed” look of the circles close together. This style is similar to Russell the Sheep, a beloved character from his previous picture books. He also had fun with Splat’s tail, which expresses the character’s mood.

Possible eyes for Splat–rejected

Put it all together, adding belly and tail.

Rob Scotton’s illustrations are created using Painter and Photoshop. He even has a pressure-sensitive stylus and pad that allows him to create the brushstrokes for Splat’s amazing fur!

I encourage you to meet Splat now at your local library or bookstore. Then this summer, as “back to school” rolls back around, revisit this story and the Back to School activities below with your child or students.

Rob Scotton’s latest book is just in time for Thanksgiving, Splat Says Thank You. This idea has a totally different origin than the original Splat.

Rob was at a book signing and a little boy stood off to the side. In between signings, this 6 year old kept asking him questions about his books. It went something like this:

Boy: You wrote a Halloween Splat book, didn’t you?

Rob: Yes, I did. Did you like it?

Boy: Yes, I did.

[long pause as Rob signs someone’s book]

Boy: You wrote a Christmas Splat book, didn’t you?

Rob: Yes, I did. Did you like it?

Boy: Yes, I did.

[another long pause as Rob signs someone’s book]

Boy: You wrote a Valentine Splat book, didn’t you?

Rob: Yes, I did. Did you like it?

Boy: Not really.

[another long pause as Rob signs someone’s book]

Boy: Are you going to write a Thanksgiving Splat book? You should.

And this got Rob thinking later. How would Splat and Thanksgiving relate or link together at all? Being from England, he tried to focus on the main theme of thankfulness. What things are we all universally thankful for? And that led him to thinking of friendship. A light bulb went off as he realized he could write a Thanksgiving Splat book where Splat was thankful for his best friend, Seymour. This would also be a great time to write the two friends’ backstory of how they met and why they’re such good friends.

Parents and Teachers

This writer’s inspiration is a great example for your own young authors. Sharing the “behind the scenes” of how published authors get their ideas can encourage your child to look around with “author eyes.” Settings like the lunchroom, playground, and their own backyard can spark an idea for a character, setting, or plot.